Not a footprint to be seen
by CooperLeigh
Summary: Bronn has always chosen to follow his greed and all that it entailed. But now finally in his long and colorful years of live he has a family he wishes to protect. And for the first time he has made and forged a group of people he can wholeheartedly give his loyalty to lead by a ruthless queen they are all about to betray to protect. Part III of The Frozen Saga


Bronn has always known who and what he is. Ever since he was a child and picked up a sword to kill for money He has always known who he was and who he was capable of. He is a greedy and selfish bastard for who money always came first. Whoever has the most coin in their hand and was willing to pay him would have his loyalty. It was simple as that. And yet here he is barely eight years after he first met a dwarf with Lannister blood running through his veins and his entire world has turned on its head.

Bronn is standing in a circle with other people loyal to the Queen of the North. Sansa Stark known as the Red Wolf, the Ice Queen and the woman for whom Bronn was now betraying the first true friend he had ever made and a man who Bronn has respected. he remembers how this all started years ago.

He had escaped King's Landing with his wife and child determined to get out of Westeros and try and make a life outside of war and chaos. Instead he had been captured by the forces of the Queen of the North in the Trident and had been forced to lay down his sword in order to protect his wife and child. He had been taken in chains in front of the woman who has skin as pale as the snow and eyes as hard as stone.

His capture has occurred three weeks after the supposed death of one Jon Snow. Sansa Stark was mourning the loss of the man who died protecting Westeros from the Others. The man whom the Mother of Dragons had been coveting with an almost obsessive desire that all Targaryens seemed to be marked by.

Bronn had come face to face with a woman who had a swollen belly and looked at him with recognition and suspicion. The Hound had stepped forward snarling and had gleefully volunteered to put a sword in his belly. But the Queen had merely raised her hand and sent him to the dungeons.

it was here Bronn was kept while his wife was given a job amongst the healers and his child was looked after with all of the others of the camp. As time passed he was eventually given another audience with the queen. it was here he saw the Maid of Tarth and the Kingslayer Standing guard over the woman with a large dire wolf. He knew that Gendry Baratheon now lead her forces and that war with the Mother of dragons was on the horizon. He began to wonder what kind of Queen was Sansa Stark to hold the loyalty of these people?

she was a butcher and a liar and ruthless. But she protected the innocent and gave every bone in her body to protect the North and the lands and people she called her own. But as she sat on her makeshift throne and stared at him with eyes as blue as the sky Bronn began to feel wary and yet he admired the woman in front of him. She was nothing like the little bird who had escaped the Lannisters and the Littlefinger.

So it was much to his shock when she opened her mouth and began to speak of a place called the Dreadfort. A place burnt and purged of its last ruling family. Sansa said that the place was empty and waiting for people to go and rebuild. That once settled it would be a good place to raise a family. now that the others were gone it was up for grabs to a loyal man. the Queen of the North then locked eyes with him and said clearly as day, "I think the Blackfort would be a good name do you not think Ser Bronn Blackwater?"

And in that moment he saw a place he could be with his woman and son and maybe have even more runts ru inning around. He could have palace to rule and a legacy to leave behind. It would be a place to rest his old bones and weary head. A place where finally he could hoard his greed in the form of family and life. And in that moment he knew she knew she had him. So in graceful defeat Bronn had said clearly for all in the tent to hear, "I quite agree Your Grace." he then kneeled and said, "As long as it bears that name you have my name and my sword to serve until the end of my days."

And in that moment he left the sells word behind and became Bronn Blackwwater Lord of Blackfort and all of its holdings. He wnet North under the watchful eye of the giant Greatjon Umber and for a year he was at peace. The Stark boy was born in secret due to his red hair and lavender eyes. The Mother of Dragons declared was and so he was summoned to go South and spy.

So he said goodbye to his wife and son and newborn daughter Sarra. And so he went South and beseeched Tyrion to give him a place in the ranks. He vowed loyalty to a mad woman and watched as she worked and failed along with her nephew Aegon and lover Jon Snow to gain any loyalty among any of her followers. She was not like Sansa whose people would live and breathe and die and fight for him.

Bronn listened and watched and broke the trust of all around him. And it was the reason he was here now meeting in secret with those closest to their Queen. He has discovered something that could destroy all they had fought and bled and given much for. All thought that when Jon Snow had though to be dead he had in fact chosen the Targaryen woman and his wiles over Sansa Stark.

Bronn now knew for a fact this was false. Tyrion had confided in him that they had found Snow barely alive where they had swiftly taken and hidden him among their forces as they went South. And when he awoke he had no memory of the past few years. It seemed to be the price for wielding Lightbringer and defeating the Night King of the Others. And so the Mothers of Dragons had fed him lies making it impossible for him to tell the truth between fact and fiction.

The love between Snow and Sansa had been kept secret and only a handful knew of it. Aside from her son their was no proof it it. And now she had given birth to a second son named Steffon with hair black as night and eyes as grey as as Stark. Sansa Stark had said vows with Gendry Baratheon in the gods wood at Winterfell beneath the weird wood tree. She had finally moved on from the bastard Snow. Her firstborn son Edwyn called Gendry father and their queen was finally happy.

Telling her this news would break and fracture her and could destroy everything. Maybe he was being paranoid but he could see her vowing vengeance on the Mother of Dragons and risking it all inseatd of only defending her elands. He could see this poisoning her love and marriage and sending his home into turmoil.

so he had called this council and now they all would decide what to do with he could see that all of them were in agreement.

The Hound nodded. Jamie Lannister gave his consent. Mya Stone the spymaster of the North said she would due her utmost to make sure it never reached the light of day again. Jonah Mormont said he would do whatever was needed to keep his queen safe. Brinene of Tarth was not among them as all knew she was too innocent to keep this a secret. Lady Stoneheart, one of the few individuals who made fear seep into his soul, hissed that she would kill thr bastard with her own two hands.

it was decided then. so as they adjourned and Bronn prepared to for the coming battle that night but drinking by the fire with Tyirons he found himself praying to any god that would listen that someday hopefully he would be forgiven for this. Fly lying to his friend and effectively signing his death warrant fit the dwarf. He prayed for forgiveness for trying to protect a young woman who saved his family and hoe gave him a home he would now kill and lie to keep and protect. He prayed off the people he now counted himself a part of. He prayed for the land he called his own and who called him. He prayed the it would all end soon. And most of all he prayed that if his Queen ever did discover this deception that she would understand. She had his loyalty and his sword. He hoped that if this came to light it would be enough.


End file.
